Quokkas residing in the Northern Jarrah Forest, Western Australia have been found to be using fire exclusion zones to ensure their own safety and longevity.

cross-posted from: https://aussie.zone/post/1327356

The findings emphasize the importance of appropriately sized and located fire exclusion areas in conservation management.

Harry Butler Institute researcher Leticia Povh led the study and said understanding how animals use their space after prescribed burning is crucial for effective conservation management, particularly for threatened species like the quokka.

“The key results revealed a remarkable shift in the behavior of six quokkas that had previously resided in areas subjected to prescribed burns,” Povh said.

https://www.murdoch.edu.au/news/articles/quokkas-adapt-to-prescribed-burns

  • Home-range area calculations and behavioural change point analysis were conducted to study the space use of quokkas.
  • The study found that appropriately sized and located fire exclusion areas are important for the long-term viability of quokka populations and other species with similar habitat requirements.
  • Quokkas spent no more than 2% of their time in burn areas, indicating their avoidance of these areas.
  • Quokkas in fire exclusion and control sites did not show any changes in their space use.
  • It was found that quokkas actively avoided burn areas for an average of three months.